Govt to reply to Unesco over Rampal plant in a week

The government will reply in seven days on the concern of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) over the planned Rampal power plant.”We will reply to the UNESCO stating our position over its concern on the Rampal Power Plant,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said today.

He was responding to reporters after inaugurating a workshop on research in power and energy sector at Bidyut Bhaban in the capital city.”The government assesses the environmental impact before setting up a new plant in the country,” Nasrul said and added that “any expert opinion on environment issues would be addressed properly”.The state minister said the government planned the power plant in line with its effort to ensure electricity supply to every household within 2018.Some recent media reports claimed that the UNESCO expressed concern over possible ecological impact of Rampal plant on the World Heritage Sundarbans, which is miles apart the planned power plant. The UNSECO also sought a response from the government on these issues.Nasrul hoped that the UN body could understand that there would not be any real concern over the Rampal power plant after getting the government’s response.He said the government had earlier clarified various queries of the UNESCO regarding some technical issues of the Rampal power plant.
source:BSS